The present application relates to electronic authentication and more specifically to electronically authenticating an account in an unsecure environment.
Public access to the Internet is widely available in many public settings such as coffee shops, hotel lobbies, and bookstores, to name a few. Some of these network connections can be vulnerable to hackers accessing another user's network connection to steal private information. For example, a user may log in a bank account over the public Internet connection by entering the username and password associated with the user's account. A hacker may also be on the same network attempting to steal the user's password because the network may be unsecure. Even if the network is secure the user may still be vulnerable to getting his password stolen by the hacker. In other situations, somebody may physically peek over the user's shoulder as the user enters his password on a computing device, such as a laptop, tablet or smart phone. Thus, even if precautionary measures are taken by the user, there is some degree of risk by attempting to access an account in a public setting.
In some situations, a user may utilize a public computer, such as at a library or at a business center in a hotel. Such a public computer can be infected with keystroke loggers where keystrokes entered by the user are recorded and secretly provided to a hacker. Thus, the user risks compromising his password to a hacker. However, given the risks of being in a public setting, users may still have a reason to access their account from the public setting. For example, one may urgently need to pay a bill or transfer money before a due date. Thus, a method of safely accessing a user account over a network in a public setting is desirable.
Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, wherein showings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the present disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.